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Verse of Atonement

All harmful acts, words and thoughts, ever committed by me since of old,

On account of beginningless greed, anger and ignorance,

Born of my body, mouth and mind,

Now I atone for them all

This verse has been in my mind a lot these days and has given me a lot to think about on my sittings and through out my day. It makes me think on the many times in my life I had been the bad guy, regardless the reasons.

Don't get me wrong. I have never killed or anything that breaks the law. I'm just your average joe. I have many times helped, listened and done good, but in some stories I had taken the part of the villain.

When saying the verse daily, it makes me remember of all these times.

I atone for them all

What do you think this means?

To repent? To understand? Do I take action like in the AA programs where you have to call people and say you're sorry?

Now I have never lived on the past. I let go things in a very natural way and I can move on from. It's just that this verse makes me think a lot.

What I'm doing with this is to reckon all the times I have been selfish, stubborn, arrogant, a show off, and by action or inaction have hurt people; thus I am mindful what can happen when I am not paying attention to my thoughts and words.

Apropos of nothing, I like the fact that we say the four vows after the Verse of Atonement. It reminds me every week that we atone because we still have not saved all sentient beings. That alone is reason enough to atone again.

Another translation of this chant....
Releasing all Harmful Karma
ever created by me since of old
On account of my beginning-less greed, anger, and ignorance
born of my conduct, speech and thought,
*Now I return to Oneness*

I think that brings the At-One of "atonement" into more clarity. not that you should chant it differently, I just offer it as a way of describing my shallow understanding of what it means when we say "Now I atone for them all"